Refrigerator car construction



Sept 15, 1942- A. G. BANcRol-T 2,295,625

REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 28, 1941 Patented Sept. 15, 1942 i 2,295,625 REFKIGERATOR CARy CONSTRUCTION Alfred G. Bancroft, Chicago, Ill., assig'nor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application July 28, 1941, Serial No. 404,315

(Cl. (i2-17) 5 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The usual features of a refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather and a cooling means and preferably a ,heating means to be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to'cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side walls of the car, communie-ate between the cooling means and the space under the iioor rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The basic air circulation in a car of this type, when the lading is of a nature to permit air permeation therethrough, is from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned nues, through the space under the oor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment thereby cooling the lading, and nally to the cooling means from where the cycle is repeated.

The commodities usually carried in refrigerator cars are packed in various ways, such as in boxes or crates; in bags; in bulk without any packaging; and even by bunches or stems, as bananas. When the commodity is loaded in boxes or crates, it may be loaded into the car either solidly from side wall to side wall and substantially from oor to ceiling, or it may be provided with spacing strips or other means between the boxes or crates to allow for the circulation of cold air. In the type of refrigerator car herein disclosed and with a loosely loaded lading, the cold air circulates from the space under the oor rack upwardly through the lading compartment toward the roof of the car, thereby cooling the lading, but if such lading is tightly packed Within the car, the cold air may be prevented from reaching certain parts thereof with a consequent increase in the temperature of those parts.

Furthermore, in certain types of lading, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, the ripening thereof in transit releases heat which is known as the heat of respiration, the `amount of which heat varies greatly from one product to another, as well as for `different temperature ranges. This heat has a tendency to collect in the upper part of the car and thereby prevent the lading in such upper part from reaching the low temperature required for preservation of the commodity.

An object of the invention is to supply cold air preferably substantially uniformly between the top vand the bottom of the lading compartment, which air is injected into the compartment preferably from one or both side Walls of the car so as to overcome the harmful effects caused by the restriction of yair flow from the space under the floor rack upwardly through the lading compartment.

A further object is to inject such distributed supply of cold air into the lading compartment without in any way interfering with the basic circulatory system for the overhead bunker type of car as hereinabove described.

A further" object of the invention is to provide means for injecting a supply of cold air over the top of the lading to counteract the harmful eiects of the heat of respiration, which heat has a tendency to maintain the upper part of the car at a high temperature. The cold air distributed over the top of the lading also overcomes the deficiency of cold air in the upper part of the car caused by the lading being so tightly loaded into the car that air circulation from under the floor rack to the upper part of the car is restricted.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying draw- In the drawing: Y f

Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the side wall shown in Fig. 1 as it appears from the interior of the car. v c

Fig. 3 is a plan section on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

The general partsof the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof A; side walls B; iioor D; refrigerant containers AE; hatches F for loading refrigerant into the containers E; foraminous iioor rack H and space J betweenvthe rack H and the floor D. The refrigerant `containers E are positioned directly below the roof A and'respectively adjacent the sidewalls B. Drip pans K are providedvbelow the containers E and partitions L are disposed in upstanding positions at the edges of the drip pans K. The drip pans K and the partitions L cooperate with the roof A and the upper parts of the side walls B to form enclosures M yaround the containers E, air inlet openings N to the enclosures M being provided by spacing the partitions L from the roof A. The partitions L are spaced apart to form a duct Q which communicates between the lading compartment R and openings N.

The side walls B of the car are formed in the usual manner and each comprises spaced apart inner (2) and. outer (3) sheathing with insulation 5 included therebetween. A plurality of sheets 6, preferably metallic, are supported in spaced relation to the inner sheathing 2, preferably by spaced apart, substantially vertical posts 8 so as to form a plurality of vertically extending flues 9 leading from the upper to the lower part of the car. The metallic sheets 6 are formed with a plurality of vertically extending corrugations II which preferably die out (I2) adjacent the upper margins of` the Vsheets 6. The lining is comprised of plywood I4 preferably secured to the posts 8 in ilatwise relation with the sheets 6, thereby forming a plurality of vertically extending ducts I5 between the plywood I4 and the corrugations II. The ducts I5 communicate at the lower ends thereof with the lower ends of the nues 9. The plywood I4 is provided with a plurality of vertically extending slotted holes I'Ialigned with certain of the ducts I5 to provide air communication between said ducts and the lading compartment R. Vertically extending, spaced apart slotsV I8 are supported in spaced relation to the plywood I4 in alignment with the holes I'I to plevent lading from blocking the holes I'I. Spacers 20 may be used to space the slots II from the plywood I4. Cold air discharge openings 2I are provided which lead from the enclosures M to the flues 9.

The basic air circulation in a car of the type disclosed takes place when the. lading is loosely loaded. The air isy cooled by contact with the refrigerant containers E, which are loaded preferably with ice or other refrigerant, which cold air circulates downwardly through the side wall flues 9 and into thev space below the floor rack H from where it permeates upwardly through the lading compartment R., thereby cooling the lading, and nally flows through the duct Q and openings N to a position wherein it may be again cooled by contact with the refrigerant containers E. This cooling cycle is continuously repeated thereafter. Overflow of melted refrigerant from the containers E or condensation dripping from the exterior thereof is conducted downwardly by the side wall flues 9 to the gutters 23 and finally disposed of to the exterior of the car by any suitable means.

In cases where the lading is tightly loaded within the car, the air is cooled by contact with the refrigerant containers E,A as hereinabove described, and flows downwardly through the side wall flues 9 to the lower part of the car. The air, upon being partially or entirely trapped in the lower part of the car, flows upwardly through the ducts I5I and into the lading compartment R through the holes I'I and the spaces between the slats I8. The cold air is, therefore, distributively injected into the lading compartment R between the top and bottom thereof and provides a relatively uniform blanket of cold air throughout the compartment. Such air then ilows upwardly through the duct Q between the containers E and is re-cooled by contact with the containers. It is to be. understood that in many cases the cold air will not flow exclusively through the floor rack H nor exclusively through the ducts I5, but that in a great majority of cases some of the air will flow into the space under the floor rack I-I and thence upwardly through the lading compartment R, while other parts of the air will flow upwardly through the ducts I5 and thence into the lading compartment R.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

i' lCertain 'features herein disclosed but not claimed are claimed in the application of Garth G. Gilpin, Serial No. 404,378, led July 28, 1941, and owned by the same assignee.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car, a wall which partially encloses a lading compartment, duct means associated with said wall, a lining forming one wall of said duct means, means to Supply cold air to said duct means, apertures in said lining to provide for the escape of coldair from said duct means to the lading compartment and means to keep lading out of saidl apertures.

2. In a refrigerator car, a wall which partially encloses a lading compartment, duct means associated with said wall, a lining forming one wall of said duct means, meansvto supply cold air to said duct means, apertures in Said'lining to provide for the escape of cold air from saidl duct means to the lading compartment and means to keep lading out of said apertures comprising slats aligned with said apertures in spaced relation to adjacent slats and to the lining. Y i Y i 3. In a refrigerator car, a wall which partially encloses a lading compartment, duct means Vassociated with said wall, a lining forming one wall of said duct means, means to supply cold air to said duct means, apertures inV said lining to provide for the escape of cold air from said duct means to the lading compartment and means to keep lading out of said apertures, comprising vertically extending slats aligned with said apertures in spaced relation to adjacent slats and to the lining.

4. In a refrigerator car, a wall which partially encloses a lading compartment, duct meansassociated with said wall and enclosed between a plate member having vertically extending corrugations and a lining means to supply cold airto said duct means, apertures in said lining to provide for the escape of cold air from said duct means to the lading compartment and means to keep lading out of said apertures.

5. In a refrigerator car, a wall which partially encloses a lading compartment, duct means associated with vsaid wall" and enclosed between a plate member having vertically extending corrugations and a lining, means to Supply coldair to said duct means, apertures in said lining to provide for the escape of cold air from said duct means to the lading compartment and means to keep lading out of said apertures comprising vertically extending slats aligned with said apertures in spaced relation to adjacent slats and to the lining.

ALFRED G., BANCROFT. 

